My experience as an English teacher in Daegu, South Korea

Jeonju – Land of Bibimbap

Jeonju. Famous for bibimbap, historic buildings and Korean traditional paper. We took the 2.5 hour bus ride from Daegu early in the morning with my generous co-teacher as our guide.

Our first stop was lunch (of course) at a famous bibimbap restaurant. My co-teacher told me that the restaurant is famous because the woman who works there has a certificate from the government for making the special Jeonju bibimbap. The bibimbap was served in a brass bowl that clanged loudly when I mixed everything together with my brass spoon and chopsticks. The rice was boiled in a special broth mixture and was topped with various local vegetables.

Certifiably delicious!

I’m a big fan of bibimbap so I thought it was delicious! My co-teacher liked it as well, but she admitted that she couldn’t taste much of a difference. I really liked the texture of the rice (not mushy) and the crispness of the vegetables. Definitely a quality meal.

Later, we passed by the Pungnammun Gate but it was closed for renovation. It’s the last city gate that remains of the original four that surrounded the city.

Pungnammun

After lunch, we went to the Gyeonggijeon Shrine to see the portraits of King Tae-jo, the founder of the Joseon dynasty, and his successors.

King Sejong??

Sorry I don't know which emperor he is

Next door was a model of traditional living quarters. The buildings and walls were built pretty low since the average height during the Joseon dynasty was smaller than it is today. Well, I felt right at home.

Traditional village building

Then we walked across the street to see the Jeondong Cathedral.

Went to church

Another special quality about Jeonju is the effort to preserve traditional architecture. Some residents purchased multiple lots in the Hanok Village to build their homes. The government provided some money to subsidize building costs to residents interested in remodeling their homes in the traditional style.

A view of the village

We walked around the Hanok Village, which has nicely paved streets and even a small stream running along the walkway. The shops and restaurants were themed and well-decorated. It was clear that a lot of time and money went into planning this place. It seems like the government invested a lot of money to create an almost idyllic environment to showcase the best of traditional Korean architecture.

Main street

Gazebo

Many of the homes are beautifully constructed with expensive, custom-made wooden gates and clay roof tiles. A few of the homes are open to the public.

Gate

A peek inside

Another traditional craft that we saw was 한지 hanji, which is Korean paper made from mulberry bark. It’s surprisingly versatile since it can be made into ties, clothing and even socks.

Ties made from paper

There are gift shops, museum exhibits and even rooms dedicated to showcasing this unique paper craft. An entire room full of paper. Beautiful but hazardously flammable.

Paper cutting designs

Making 한지

We had an enjoyable day walking around Jeonju. The highlight of our trip was eating bibimbap in the region where it originated. And seeing these cute babies wearing hanbok!